Dove Advertisement: On the Company's Public Apology and the Model's Statement on the Issue
For years, Dove has known to be a brand that stands for beauty in any skin color, regardless of societal standards. However, the most recent advertisement they released seemed to represent the opposite of their vision, as many called the company out for being racially insensitive. The advertisement has since sparked debates, with Dove publicly apologizing for its advertisement and the model in question has released a statement.
The advertisement featured a Nigerian woman, who was wearing a brown shirt. Although the video did feature other women from various ethnic backgrounds, the advertisement's portrayal of the dark-skinned woman was what sparked the outrage.
In the video, she would eventually lift up her shirt to reveal a white-skinned woman, which reports reveal have upset many people. Some fans said that the entire video has conveyed the message that being dark-skinned is equal to being dirty, especially considering that Dove was marketing a body wash.
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Dove has since released a public apology for their advertisement on Facebook. According to the company, they intended to convey the message that the body wash is for any woman, regardless of ethnic background. Dove has also removed the post, as well as any related content. However, the model in the advertisement has decided to break her silence.
"The narrative has been written without giving consumers context on which to base an informed opinion. While I agree with Dove's response to unequivocally apologize for any offense caused, they could have also defended their creative vision, and their choice to include me, an unequivocally dark-skinned black woman, as a face of their campaign," said model Lola Ogunyemi in a statement released by The Guardian. "I am not just some silent victim of a mistaken beauty campaign. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased."
Fans of Dove and its ideals are urged to head over to the full length of Ogunyemi's statement, as it reveals several key factors in relation to the controversial advertisement.
